Here’s something hard, but important:
If your emerging adult knows you won’t follow through on what you say, they’ll stop taking you seriously.

Parents tell me, “I’ve told them if they don’t help out, they’re out of the house.”
But here’s what I know: many of your kids don’t believe you.
They’ve told ...

If your emerging adult seems unmotivated, disconnected, or constantly tuned out, I want to offer a gentle reframe:

The problem isn’t their lack of drive.
The real issue is the amount of time they’re scrolling, gaming, and ingesting online media and the impact it’s having on their brain and sense of ...

Every now and then, I get a message from a parent that really hits a nerve, and shines a light on a different kind of parenting challenge. It goes something like this:

“My 20-year-old didn’t go to college, has struggled with a few jobs, but finally landed an office job he loves. That’s the good new...

Parents, if you’re still waking your emerging adult up every morning for work, I need to lovingly challenge you on that.

I understand the fear.
You’re thinking, “If I don’t wake them, they’ll lose their job.”
And yes, they might.

But if you are the only reason they’re getting to work on time, then l...

“For God’s sake… how many more speeding tickets are we going to cover?
How many more treatment centers, therapists, or attorney fees are we going to pay for?”

Maybe you’ve said something like this to your spouse.
Maybe you’ve heard it said to you.

And maybe, underneath that frustration, is the deep...

Let me be clear:
If you’re still trying to consequence your emerging adult like they’re 12, it’s not going to work.

Taking away their phone?
Hiding the gaming console?
Threatening to shut off the Wi-Fi?

These aren’t parenting strategies. They’re power struggles, and they don’t move your emerging adul...